The Athens-based brand will be moving to 43 S. Court Street, with its lease having began Friday. That location was previously occupied by The Other Place, which The Messenger previously reported has closed due to the owner’s impending retirement.

Don’t expect an immediate change, owner and operator Tim Martin said, as it will take some time to get settled.

Martin is also the owner and operator of Red Tail Designs, which is what he calls the more “business to business” part of his design operations. Both companies are under the umbrella of ACEnet, a local business incubator.

Ohio is Home started in 2015 in Martin’s house with the help of his wife, Heather. A few area stores started to feature his wares, and then in 2016 he opened the first small storefront for the brand. Now, Ohio is Home has outgrown Martin’s current space at ACEnet. He plans to keep both spaces, changing the existing shop into a conference area and showcase, and also continue to run Red Tail Designs out of the space. But…

“You can’t beat being on Court,” he said.

The brand carries a variety of items, from soft printed T-shirts and hoodies, to wooden ornaments, stickers and hats — most bearing an Ohio, Athens or local-based design. Most of his products are made from locally sourced materials or made in Ohio.

“I’d had the idea (for the brand) for a long time, because you know in Columbus you have Homage and other big name apparel, but there’s nothing like that down here. Everything was just the same old OU stuff,” Martin said. “So I wanted to do that Ohio fan stuff down here, especially with an Athens flavor …”

He hopes to grow into the space by collaborating with other local brands, such as perhaps offering “artisan classes” that would feature perhaps candle making or decorating wooden items.

Martin noted that as of yet, the business does not have an license agreement with Ohio University for OU-based designs, but he is in the process of getting one. He has already hired a manager for the uptown business, and other part-time worker hires are forthcoming.

Why Athens?

“Athens has a very healthy entrepreneurial environment,” he reflected. “It has an excellent startup culture, particularly in the area of tech growth.” – Neill Lane, Global Cooling